Top 10 Best Anime Swordsmen
No anime character has ever had the desire as deep as his to become the greatest swordsmen. No one tried as hard as he did to improve his swordsmanship. As you go throughout the anime, you can clearly see the improvement of his skills. He has a range that extends from far underground now.
His sword skills have incredible sharpness, and the consistency in being able to cut giant masses casually with no major energy loss. He cut an entire ship and then later cut the gigantic Pica made of stone like it was nothing. His attacks have incredible destructive power and are very hard to stop.
Post time-skip, he has not really been seen pushed to the limits, so it can be assumed his skills, which are already top-notch, are greater than what we've seen. Even more than that, they have the clear potential to grow even more.
"Roronoa Zoro" just the name alone sounds badass. He is an incredible swordsman with amazing stamina and resistance to pain. He managed to take in all his captain's pain and suffering plus his own and still managed to stand upright. He has amazing precision and technique as he is able to cut a huge building into pieces with a simple movement, not to mention his superhuman strength as he is also capable of throwing huge buildings. His senses are highly developed and he is almost never caught off guard. Zoro is a badass swordsman who isn't afraid to take on anyone nor is he afraid of any challenge, and will kill anyone without thinking twice. To put it in simple words, Zoro is a badass, bloodthirsty swordsman that isn't afraid of anything.
Killed an immortal in the future who also had the power to grow infinitely stronger, and who was able to beat Vegito Blue, the strongest fighter in the history of fiction.
He is epic and has awesome Super Saiyan powers. Trunks can move at supersonic speed and teleport. He can even hold his own without a sword.
Trunks beat Zolo (not Zoro, that's the Spanish swordsman) for me by a tiny bit, probably because Dragon Ball Z is my first favorite manga/anime, while One Piece is my second or third.
'Battousai the Manslayer', the name says it all. Considered to be the best swordsman that ever existed, a title he still holds even after deciding he would never kill again. His flawless swordsmanship and his ability to evaluate every battle he ends up in to create a plan in almost an instant is why he is the best anime swordsman.
He holds expert skill in every aspect of being a swordsman. He has the speed, the skill, the power, the evaluation skills, the mentality, and not to mention a vast array of techniques which ensures that no matter who or what he finds himself up against, he has a trump card for them all. Truly the best anime swordsman, hands down.
In my opinion, Kenshin is the best anime swordsman ever. I could say many things to support my opinion, but what really makes him the best is that against his opponents, he was using a reverse blade sword to beat them but with no intention to kill them. I cannot see other anime swordsmen doing that with their opponents.
Another fact that makes him the best is that he is trying to beat his opponents both physically and mentally by applying psychological warfare at the same time, for example, the fight with Sojiro. According to me, these facts, added to the complexity of his character and his past, make him the most skillful, complete, and badass swordsman ever.
Ichigo is damn powerful, that's true. But the question here is about the strongest swordsmen.
In that sense, Ichigo doesn't deserve such a high position. It's true that he's a good swordsman. But if we forget about his powers and spiritual pressure and hand him a normal sword, then I think even Renji or Ikkaku will be able to beat him. I don't know how many of you saw it, but there was a filler episode where this point was mentioned about Ichigo. As I can remember, it was shortly after Aizen's defeat.
Let's see. His skill in using swords may not be the best. That may be owing to the fact that he's only had about 2 years of experience being a Shinigami and had never trained for prolonged periods of time, apart from the time he was trying to learn the Final Getsuga Tenshou.
Now, in the Thousand Year Blood War, he could easily be in the top 3. Erza can't do anything but bore him. Ichigo is faster than Zoro and stronger.
To those who think Erza could even lay a scratch on Zoro, keep dreaming.
Though personally I like Zoro, I cannot deny the fact that "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk is the most skilled and powerful swordsman in the anime universe. He inflicts enormous damage to his enemies without himself or his sword getting a scratch. He is the only one to have not received any injury. During the great war between the navy and Whitebeard pirates (Strongest pirate crew), many of the big timers were wounded badly or dead. Mihawk was the only one without a scratch on him or on his sword.
Not to mention he defeated #2 ranked Zoro in this list with a pocket knife once. So, he should be at the top of this list!
Though personally I like Zoro, I cannot deny the fact that "Hawk Eyes" (Mihawk) is the most skilled and powerful swordsman there is in the anime world. He is the only character to have inflicted enormous damage to his enemies without himself or his sword getting a scratch even once in the entire series. In the war between the navy and Whitebeard pirates (the strongest pirate crew), many of the big names were wounded badly. Mihawk was the only one without as much as a scratch. So, yes, he should be at the top of the list!
Let's not forget that Hiei was an A-class demon when he was about 5, and sacrificed this power to get the third eye implanted in his head. His third eye lets him use telepathy and see things far away. Also, in his first round in the Dark Tournament, he sliced a guy's arm off, and no one saw him move at all. Basically, he has super speed, but he doesn't use magic for it or anything. He's just that fast. And he has experience, as he fought in Demon World his whole life before coming to the Human World.
And he swallowed and became the Dragon of the Darkness Flames, which is a dragon made of the hottest fire from the deepest part of Demon World. So, there's that.
Hiei is by far a strong swordsman. Being able to teleport alone with strong slicing accuracy is enough to kill anybody he goes against. However, you'd have to downplay that a lot to keep him from being invincible. When he uses his sword on occasion, he's skilled. I wouldn't rank him any higher because of that.
HAHA Zoro, just because Zoro says he can cut through anything doesn't mean he can. That's like saying he would be able to cut through one of Godzilla's scales. It's not gonna happen. Erza has accomplished many things because she is powerful. She destroyed 200 of those lacrima, and just destroying one endangers your life. She also won a fight against Kyoka without her important sense, and her sensitivity to pain was heightened. So, she won a fight blind, deaf, and her pain sensitivity was unreal while her foe's attack power was rising. Zoro cut a ship in half, etc. So what? Erza cut a small island in half in the Edolas arc. And she's much more powerful than before.
To the person who thinks Zoro can beat Erza. Erza has multiple armors that she can use, and in the Edolas arc, she cut a small island in half. During the Laxus arc, she destroyed multiple lightning lacrimas, and just destroying one puts your life in danger. She also defeated 100 monsters, and one of them was an S-class monster.
Zoro says he can cut through anything, but can he REALLY cut through anything? Erza has multiple armors, and a new armor was just revealed in the recent chapters. She could literally have an armor that is unbreakable. She has armors for different situations such as her lightning armor, fairy armor, wind armor, etc. She even had an adamantine armor and tanked a hit that was capable of destroying the entire FT guild and the surrounding area.
Zoro fans are becoming more and more ridiculous. Zoro may be the best in HIS VERSE, but when it comes to other verses, he doesn't have a chance against certain swordsmen. And Zoro is a jerk of a character anyway. Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Brook, Sanji, etc. are much better characters than the piece of crap called Zoro.
His skills in battle are truly unmatched. Even when struck down and all seems hopeless, he'll find a way to fight back against the tendrils of fate. If a demon stands ready to finish Guts off, he'll take his daughter hostage and use that to his advantage. He may not be some knight of valor and honor, but his dirty swordplay is what makes him akin to even the most powerful of celestial beings. He dares to strike back against fate and presumes to kill a god who was once his friend. Add that to a magical suit of armor which transforms him into a relentless beast of the night, and you have possibly the most powerful man in any lore.
Guts is not number 1, and that's a problem. Sao and Bleach are beating the most brutal, hardcore, awe-inspiring, genre-defining man on the earth. Everything under the sun takes cues from Berserk. Everything you've ever loved owes some portion of itself to this series and this character. Anyone who doesn't agree either hasn't read the series, doesn't know the history, or is just too young to get it.
He's the last person in the manga/anime universe you ever want to meet in a dark alley with a sword in his hands. Even if you can't call it a sword, because it's too massive and crude. No argument. And seriously, if you don't get it, do yourself the biggest favor you could ever do for yourself and read the series. I even highly recommend the newer movies, especially the 2nd and 3rd arcs of the Golden Age. Hope the new anime gets better, because that's when his powers really start to grow.
But come on, tenth? Under sissy video game boy who doesn't even exist in anything other than a video game world? This list is a shame.
Yes, I agree that Kirito himself possesses so much skill and power, but for a sensible reason. He is much like Kenshin, who has the will to live and the will to protect others. I could understand why some people hate SAO because of Kirito's OPness. To those people, his abilities and power are not to an impossible degree, and he may show some weaknesses and losses in the series, but will battle his opponents at full extent if someone's life is on the line.
Is Sword Art Online. Kirito is the strongest player in SAO. Put 2 and 2 together, and you get the strongest swordsman. Yeah, I mean Erza is strong, but I think Kirito is stronger. If the two were to fight, then I think Erza would win because of her Requip. If it were down to pure sword skills, then Kirito would win.
One of the greatest swordsmen in anime, Kirito rarely loses in battle and shows amazing speed and strength when using his blade. In GGO, Kirito can deflect bullets using his photon sword. This shows how fast his reaction is with his blade. Practically an unstoppable character!
Now that he has Bankai, find me a better swordsman. No one has cutting power like him. He can literally cut through time and space. He sliced one of Yhwach's elite guards, Gerard, in half. It was only thanks to Gerard's power "The Miracle" that he survived. Anyone else gets killed.
After knowing his Zanpakuto name, he upgrades his power x150, so with even Shikai he can easily kill Ichigo, the protagonist of Bleach. So maybe he is the strongest swordsman of Bleach.
I voted for Ichigo, but I would have agreed here. Even Zoro couldn't cut down Kenpachi.
Having her on your team during a zombie apocalypse would greatly increase your chances for survival.
Definitely one of the most badass swordsmen I've seen to date.
I don't think any other of these characters can practically fight as well without a sword as Byakuya can. Nor can anyone else on this list keep up with his flash step (apart from other Bleach characters).
The guy grew back his arm along with a sword that can kill thousands of demons in one big chain reaction. That there is a devotion to swords if you ask me...
He's really strong and he never panics. He's a great swordsman, unbeatable. Except Dante will beat the crap out of him, but other than that, the best.
Not only does his sword look wickedly magnificent, but with Dante holding and wielding the sword, he's practically invincible! He slays demons constantly, not with his guns only, but with the help of "Rebellion", the name of his sword. His sword shows perspective and details on how the sword helps the character win battles!
He's got some very nice moves and slices through demons as if they were nothing. And the Rebellion blade is just too awesome.
Dante has a wickedly sharp sword that will cut anything you can throw at it to pieces.
I am basing my comment on what would happen if there is an actual fight between my number one favourite, Zorro, and Inuyasha. If you've seen Inuyasha, his Wind Scar and Backlash Wave, after huge moves and analyzing his fights with Sesshomaru, can be easily avoided if you're not bound. I mean, really, in the latest series, his powers get taken away, and the way he fights with that sword without powers is really sad.
Inuyasha evolved with Tessaiga. He not only forged it with his own fang but also mastered attacks that could unleash diamond barrage or wind scars to Meidou blackholes till the end. He not only wields it like a badass but can virtually defeat anyone with it!
How is he 15? I mean, Sesshomaru is way more powerful than him.
He has the speed and lightning style, which make his sword skills extra beautiful to watch.
She is a great swordsman. She gives meaning to the word badass female swordsman. She's also hot and sexy. She doesn't take any crap!
He is a very strong samurai, capable of defeating or outright killing opponents with just a wooden sword. He has been shown to be highly charismatic, capable of drawing people just by his words alone. He also has a very humorous side, which most anime swordsmen don't have, which sets him apart entirely from everyone. While acting stupid and idiotic for most of the time, he has shown to have a loving and caring side, which he doesn't show very often.
How come Gintoki is ranked 13th and Trunks and Kirito are in the Top 10? Gintoki can do anything with a wooden sword! He destroyed a Benizakura, made a hole in a hand, and cut through all the time with just a wooden sword. Dude, this is not facts, they're just voting for the fanbase.
Oh, did I forget to mention he's one of the characters that survived the Joui War against a thousand Amantos in that war? He's a monster, probably stronger than Erza. Gintoki has strong and long durability, keen senses, can outsmart opponents, and survive with a gunshot in his body and get slashed in the back. And just a few days later, he's healthy as hell and ready to kick ass. This guy can't be killed easily.
Oh, in his younger days when he was a kid, he killed hundreds to thousands of people with just an ordinary sword. HE WAS JUST A KID AT THAT TIME! He's a God Tier Swordsman. He can give Zoro a hard time, probably he can beat him too. IDIOT fans voting just for popularity. He should be at least in the Top 3 or 5. Dude, this guy can probably take on Kirito, Asuna, Erza, and Kenshin and still win.
Rin may be very powerful, but he is very immature in a fight. He can be outwitted very easily and only uses brute force.
Rin is amazing! He's the son of Satan and very talented. He deserves to be right under Kirito as number two. He's very hot and super strong and fast.
Rin is just amazingly awesome. Probably one of the best anime characters I've seen.
Mugen does not have any powers or superhuman strength, and is still amazingly strong. He's probably the most badass guy on this list. He should be number 6-8 on this list.
Can any other swordsmen accomplish these feats without super strength? Nope, only Mugen.
Can Zorro break dance whilst cutting foes to shreds? I think not.